It's always my last one that is odd. Using up the batter gets you one that is too big or too small compared to the rest. And it's always flat for me since the batter has lost some of its "oomph". I make sure I put it right onto my own plate.

My SIL was always pancake challenged. Hers would come out in shapes...DH says they always looked like states and the family would try to guess which one! She and her DH come to our home for pancakes now...

It is indeed the temperature of the pan that messes up the first pancake. I have been making the same pancakes on the same pan, on the same stove for so long that I know where to set the flame. I let the pan preheat while making the batter. I then lightly oil the pan surface, after the pan is hot. I make them 4 at a time, so close together that they almost touch (sometimes they do). The first batch comes out identical to the last batch.

Moral of the story, know your equipment and technique. It's like shooting a bow, consistancy in method will insure great results.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

__________________“No amount of success outside the home can compensate for failure within the home…"